School holiday ideas

Last week, we talked about the importance of self-directed play and planning for children. Allowing children to make choices and decisions, guided by their interests, lets them explore, take risks, and learn autonomy. This approach demonstrates trust in their decision-making abilities and teaches them to take control of their lives, including the occasional mistakes that may arise.

An over-scheduled program runs against this idea, so sharing a list of activities available for the school holidays seems counterintuitive. However, sharing these options (amongst others) with your children and allowing the to make reasonable choices makes great use of some of the highly engaging opportunities we have.

So here of ideas for your school holidays:

• Salisbury Council have a wide range of activities – including some free ones. Click here to see the list.
• Tea Tree Gully Council also have lot of fun things happening for your kids. Click here to see them.
• Take a drive to the Whispering Wall and marvel at the acoustic oddity.
• Wander through the Children’s Storybook Trail in Carrick Hill. On a sunny day the classic-story themed adventure is particularly stunning.
• Head to North Terrace and visit one or more of the amazing things available including the Art Gallery, South Australian Museum, Australian Space Discovery Centre, Botanic Gardens or the Museum of Discovery.
• Go for a ride at the St Kilda Adventure Playground – it’s not as far away as you think!
• Visit Waterworld for a swim and slide – the October school holidays mark the start of it’s opening season.
• Pixar Putt is coming to Adelaide. Have a hit of mini golf with some of your child’s favourite movie characters. More information here.
• Get outdoors with an kayaking or abseiling adventure with Earth Adventures.  You can also hire a kayak and take a paddle at the Dolphin Sanctuary near Port Adelaide.
• Pack the bikes and ride along Linear Park.